Fight Back
by awesomekittycat
Summary: When Percy died, all hope was lost. Everything changed. Demigods are on the run, hiding from Titans. But Annabeth won't just sit around, watching the world die around her. She's going to take revenge for Percy, and will do anything. But she can't do it alone-she's got to get other demigods to help her. And with them, she'll take down the Titans once and for all-or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi readers! I'm awesomekittycat, and this is my 9****th**** story. It's going to mainly be in Annabeth's POV, but I might change it.**

My dream is the same as normal—the day Percy died.

We were all together—Thalia, Grover, Percy and I. Mount Olympus was falling apart. Kronos was destroying it.

I relive jumping, not making it. Percy catching me, holding me. I wanted to just stay there, but we couldn't. So we kept moving. I watch Thalia get pinned by Hera's statue, us struggling, having to leave her.

That was the last time I saw her.

I go through heading into the throne room, Percy fighting. I feel the hurt of me hitting my head, and Grover trying to help me. Then I hear it—the same sound, over and over, every night—Kronos laughing. I look up, see Percy laying in a puddle of blood. Not moving. I struggle to my feet.

"Your hero is dead, girl," Kronos laughed. My chest constricts. "He made the wrong move and razed Olympus. Do you want to join him in the Underworld?"  
>"Percy," I whisper, stumbling forward to where he lays. I franticly feel his chest, feeling for the heartbeat.<p>

I can't find it. "Percy!" I cry, shaking him. As if that will bring him back. As if that will change anything. I start to cry, silent and hot.

"It's useless, girl. He's dead. There's nothing you can do."  
>I stagger to my feet. Grover is frozen, staring at his dead best friend. "Grover, run," I hiss at him. He takes a few shaky steps, and stops.<br>"He's dead."  
>"Yes, Grover. Run!"<br>Grover blinks, looking at me. "I won't—"  
>"GO! Get Thalia and run!"<br>He hesitates, then leaves.

Kronos laughs at me. "What can you do that he can't? You're hurt, weaponless. It's useless."  
>"Today, maybe," I spit. "But I will fight you, Kronos, and I will win then. Count on it."<br>He looks taken aback for a single second, then shakes it off and starts to glow harder. I grab Riptide out of Percy's hand and run, Kronos's heat burning my back.

I wake with a start, sitting up. I'm in a rundown building off the main road, and I'm supposed to be watching. I curse myself and leave the building, leaning against the wall. My thoughts invariably go back to my dream. The running, the burning…

But that was three years ago. Now, I'm 19, living in a Titian-ruled land. I'm one of very few resisters, running from the monster bounty hunters rather than embracing them and living under hard rule. That's what most of the humans do, now. Before, when they tried to resist, they all were killed. There're about 8 million humans in the entire world.

I'm currently trying to find followers to my cause. But demigods are very rare now, and none of them are very willing to stick their necks out for my cause. I try to convince them, but it's always hard to get anyone to sign up for painful suicide.

The only reason I've survived this long is I don't get attached to anything. I'm fine with leaving places burning, or clothes, or sometimes, in extreme cases, people. Others will go for their favorite possession, but I don't. I run. I'm always running.

The only thing I've kept for the last three years is Riptide. It seems to accept me as its new owner, because it appears in my pocket when I drop it and is perfectly balanced for me.

"Annabeth!" A voice calls, interrupting my thoughts. I look up, see a girl hurrying toward me.

"What, Katie?" I ask. She takes a deep breath.

"It's empty."  
>"The hideout?"<br>"Yeah. Completely clean, like no one was ever there."  
>"And you don't know who it was, or where they were heading?"<br>"No clue."

I curse. We were closing on a resister, hoping to recruit him. But now he's gone, with no way to track him.

"We might as well head back. It's unlikely we'll find anything now."  
>She nods and starts walking, to our base for now. I join her, studying the sky. It seems wrong, its blueness. Everything else is gray and dark, scared and sad. It's like it's trying to give us hope.<br>"Sh!" I hiss, pulling Katie back into an alley. A car zooms past seconds later, spraying dirt and gravel in our direction. "Don't move." I listen, but it's heading away. Carefully, I creep forward and stick my head out of the alley. The street is just as empty as before, just as silent. "Come on," I motion Katie forward. We carefully creep forward, staying alert.

It's half an hour later when we reach base—the same place that was our base when were in the middle of the battle, where we slept and camped. It seemed temporary then, it seems temporary now.

"Anything?" Travis Stoll asks when we step into the building.  
>"No," Katie says, shaking her head. "They cleared out before we could reach them." She sighs.<p>

"Well, it's okay. I think they came here."  
>"What?" Katie exclaims. I raise an eyebrow.<p>

"A demigod came in a few hours ago. Went right through our defenses, too. We keep trying to talk to him, but he insists he'll only talk 'to our leader'. He's really weird."  
>I groan inwardly. I'm tired, dirty, and really want a snack. But I have to put my duties first.<p>

"I'll go talk to him." I start to the door. "He's in the basement, right?"  
>"Yeah. Um…Annabeth?" Travis says, nervous. I look back. He and Katie are shoulder to shoulder. Holding hands. "I know you don't usually allow it…"<br>I bite my lip. They look so hopeful. "Fine."  
>"Yes! Thank you!"<br>"But!" I hold up a finger. "Don't expect to find a shoulder to cry on if one of you dies."  
>They giggle and run off.<p>

I head down to the basement. Jake Mason waits for me.  
>"I think he's a Hephaestus son, about 18."<br>"He won't talk?"  
>"Nope."<br>"I'm going in. Be ready to zap him."  
>Jake gives a nod and pushes a button, unlocking the door. I step in and shut the door.<p>

"Are you the leader?" Asks the small, scrawny boy sitting in a plastic chair.

"Yes. And you are?"  
>"Hey, I came to you. I get to ask questions."<br>"And we're the ones who have you in a cell with about 12 different kinds of lasers zeroed in on you, ready to disintegrate you if you make the wrong move. So you'll answer our questions."  
>He pouts. "Fine, but you have to answer some of mine, too. We'll take turns."<br>I roll my eyes. "Fine."  
>"Okay! I'll go first! What's your name?"<br>"Annabeth Chase. I'm 19. Yours?"  
>"Leo Valdez. I'm 18 or so. I don't keep track anymore. Are you being hunted by the Titians?"<br>"Yeah, I'm a demigod. Technically their granddaughter, but we don't dwell on technicalities. Are you one?"  
>"Probably. I never knew my dad."<br>"Any particular skills?"  
>"Hey, it's my turn! Uh, why do you dare to oppose them? I mean, they could just decide to kill you and boom, you'd be dead."<br>"Because their leader killed my best friend. Now, do you have any skills?"  
>"I'm a mechanic. And, well…" He trails off and holds his hand out. It lights on fire.<br>"You must be a son of Hephaestus. He's the only one who has fire-user kids."  
>"Huh. Is Hephaestus the best and awesomest?"<br>"He's…it's complicated. All the Olympians were different in their own ways, had their own skills. Did you have a hideout recently vacated?"  
>"Yeah, I left because all my defenses were saying that I was about to get company."<br>"That was us." I prop my leg up on the other chair.  
>"Oh." He looks scared.<br>"So. Do you want to join us?"  
>"What's 'us' mean?"<br>"Our group of resisters."  
>"Do you have a name?"<br>"No."  
>"Well, you should. Somehting like…the Avengers!"<br>"We aren't superheroes. Answer the question."  
>"Which one?"<br>"Do you want to join us?"  
>"Sure."<br>"Good. Jake, disarm the lasers and give him the tour," I call.  
>"Wait! Is your only purpose to avenge your friend?"<br>"Basically, yes."  
>"Then the Avengers is a great name."<br>"Annabeth doesn't like that name," Jake says, coming in. "Come on, little man. I'll give you the tour. And don't smile as much. People don't like it."  
>"What, you like being hopeless?"<br>"Yep."  
>"That was a rhetorical question," Leo grumbles. "Oh, Annabeth! I have a friend, we got separated a while ago. Do you think you could help find her?"<br>I think about it. "Our tracking devices are down, but if they were fixed, we could probably find her."  
>"I'll help fix those!" Leo says, leaving.<br>I watch him go, shaking my head. Happiness and hope come in strange forms these days.  
><strong>There we go! I hope you like, please review! I'll probably update soon.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! It means a lot!  
><strong>Water pours over my face, pleasantly warm. I breath through it, inhaling water.

The water turns cold. I curse and hammer on the side of the shower, an in a second, it goes back to being warm.

I stay for a few more seconds, then get out and dry off. I'm in a bathroom connected to an unoccupied room, because no one comes up to this floor. The water is usually pretty nice, compared to the downstairs water that's being used a couple of times.

"Annabeth?" I hear. I quickly pull on a tee shirt and jeans, then answer the door. Katie nods at me.

"Hey. Leo fixed the demigod finder."  
>"He's been here like twenty minutes."<br>"Yeah. He's good at his stuff. He wants to talk."  
>"When did he ask?"<br>"Just now."  
>"Tell him I'll be right there, then come help me to send an Iris Message to the scouts."<br>"But…that takes like fifteen minutes."  
>"Exactly. I don't come at his beck and call."<br>Katie gives a small smile and runs off. I go up to the roof, where to sun is still shining, and start to set up the hose.

Katie arrives to help, and we get it at an easy angle. Then we both kneel, with our arms out toward the rainbow.

"Iris, dear goddess, we know times are hard. But please, assist us in this message so we can ease your hardship."

The water shimmers, and then shows a grainy picture. A figure in it stands.

"Annabeth?"

"Will?"  
>"Hey! We haven't found anything."<br>"We're got the demigod tracking device up and running again."  
>"Good! Let us know the where to go, and we'll go."<p>

"Hang on," Katie says, fumbling with a piece of paper. She reads off, "222 Walker Drive."  
>"We're on it," Will says, nodding.<p>

"Be careful, Will," I remind him.

"Yeah. Oh, we've been hearing reports on the Titians, and how they have a bunch of demigods, and with them is—"  
>The message cuts off. I swear and try to do it again, but Iris is done helping. I take a deep breath.<br>"I'll go see what Leo wants," I tell Katie. She agrees, and I go back downstairs.

"What do you want, Leo?"

He scowls, looking up. "Took your time, didn't you?"  
>"I'm in charge. I have a lot of stuff to do."<br>"Like…?"  
>"Like sending a scout team to find your friend. "<br>He looks surprised. "Oh. Uh, thanks?"  
>"Save it. What do you want?"<br>"I was going to ask you to go get her."  
>"Which I did."<br>"No, you sent people. She's really tricky—"  
>"ANNABETH!" I hear. Turning, I see an Iris Message. It's Will.<p>

"Will? What—"  
>"She's too strong! Send reinforcements! We'll meet you! Come to the address!"<br>"Who's too strong? Will!"  
>The message cuts off.<p>

Leo looks slightly smug. "Told you she was tricky."  
>"Quiet!" I snarl, walking to the intercom. It barely works, but I manage to bark, "Clarisse, Pollux, Skylar, and Landon—report! Now!"<p>

I turn around. Jake came in when he heard the commotion, and I tell him to get enough weapons for the group.

"Annabeth, what's—" Clarisse comes in, with Landon and Pollux on her tail.  
>"Where's Skylar?"<br>"She's coming," Landon says. I clench my teeth.  
>"Here!" She calls, coming into the room.<br>"I got a call from one of our scout groups. They're in trouble. We're going in."  
>"You're going, too?" Pollux questions. I give him a short nod.<p>

"Good," Leo says. I glare at him.

"Next time, tell me beforehand if you know something's going to go wrong. And tune up the shields." I leave him shocked and scared to hand out weapons.  
>"Jake! You're in charge. Anything happens, you call it in. Understand?"<br>"Yep." He looks taken aback by the sudden promotion.

"Let's go."  
>We go down a few flights of stairs to the garage.<br>"Gray van," I say. We pile in and I drive off before Clarisse is even buckled, slamming her back into the seat.

"You're wound up today," She says. I give her an irritated glare. "Any reason why?"  
>"Just a normal day," I reply, shifting gears and pushing the gas. She braces herself against the seat.<p>

"I know what day it is, Annabeth."  
>"Just another day."<br>"Three years today."  
>"Doesn't mean anything."<br>"He's closer."  
>"Can we not talk about it?"<br>"Why?"  
>"Because every time I think about him, I break down. And I can't right now, alright?" I shout, under my breath so the others in the backseat don't hear.<br>"Don't keep your feelings pushed away."  
>"I don't."<br>"Even the happy ones?"  
>"…Buckle up."<p>

She does, and we ride the rest of the way in silence.

We're turning onto Walker Drive when a figure steps into the middle of the street. I slam on the brakes and he waves.  
>"Trying to get yourself killed, Will?" Clarisse asks, stepping out of the van. I slam the door and look around.<p>

"Is she?" He questions, trying to be quiet. I still hear him.

"It's three years today, Will. His birthday."  
>"Well—"<p>

I turn around. "Where's the rest of the team?"  
>"Down the street."<br>"Is Chris with them?" Clarisse asks.

"Yes."  
>She breaths a sigh of relief.<p>

"Let's go," I command, starting to walk down the street. Will leads us to a ramshackle building and knocks on the side door. A girl opens it.

"Annabeth!" She gasps. "I'm really sorry, I don't know what happened—"  
>"It's alright, Aura," I reassure the thirteen year old. She takes a breath.<p>

"Um, Annabeth?" Will says. "I think she's leaving soon."  
>"Let's go, then!"<br>They all jump a little, but follow me out.  
>The building next door is quiet. It was an office building, but now it seems empty.<p>

"She was in the basement," Chris whispers. I stop at the stairs door.

"Landon, Skylar, stay here and guard. Don't let her leave. Skylar, you come if we need you. Chris, Aura, Will—take the elevator. Distract her."  
>"But—"<br>"Go!"

They push the elevator call button, and I head down the stairs, Clarisse and Pollux on my heels.  
>I hear shouting and waste no time shoving the door open, Riptide held in my hand.<p>

A girl my age looks up wildly, a hunting knife in her hand. She's got dark hair cut choppy and multicolored eyes. She swears. I almost back off—I don't like what I hear in her voice.

"Target them! Stop!" She says. A small device flies up and shoots a laser at me. My legs stop where they are, and I hear the others halt, too. "Get on your knees! Don't move, don't talk!"  
>I obey. I can't help it—most of me wants to, but there's one part of my mind that's screaming. It doesn't help anything.<p>

She goes to Will and starts to question him, calling back at us to stay put.

I strain as hard as I can against her machine, but it's no use. I can't.

Then I realize it's a mental barrier—I just have to break through.

First I see Kronos, laughing. I keep pushing, but it doesn't work. I think of Thalia, Grover—I never think about them. But it doesn't help.

I know there's only one thing to do. I have to think about him.

Percy.

I've put up so many defenses against thinking about him, but I have to. I open a tiny bit—remembering the time he told me what his fatal flaw was.

"I'm too loyal, Annabeth," He said, looking so perfect. His sea-green eyes pierce me. "I'll never be able to leave a friend."  
>If I had died, and he was here, he wouldn't give up. He'd try anything to get free.<p>

I gasp. The girl looks back at the sound. I stand. She stumbles, looking astounded.

"Stop!" I pick up Riptide. "Put that down!" She's pushing so hard. "You—stop! Leave me alone!"  
>"Leo—sent us," I wheeze, falling to my knees. She looks flabbergasted.<p>

"Leo?"  
>"Yes, Leo! Let—us go!"<p>

"Let them go!"  
>A weight lifts. The flying device turns off. Chris catches it and crushes it.<p>

"Hey! Leo made that!"  
>I stand up again and move toward her. She backs up until she hits the back wall.<br>"You have a name?" I say casually, pointing my sword at her throat.  
>"Pi—Piper."<br>"Piper. Give me a reason not to use this."  
>"I—I don't…" She looks ashamed. "I don't have one."<br>I lower the sword. "Good enough for me."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. Anyone lost is good with us. Come on."  
>"Where?" She stumbles after me.<br>"Base. The Titians will detect us soon."  
>"The Titians? I thought they left humans alone!"<p>

We reach the van. "We aren't humans. Get in the van."

She doesn't reply, so I push her to the door and step towards the other demigods.

"Pollux, Landon, you two are staying her. Aura, Chris, you come back to base. They exchange nods and handshakes, then the five of us get into the van and drive off, leaving them to risk their lives to find resisters.

**Hope you like! I'll explain a few more things next chapter, sorry if this was confusing. Please follow, favorite, review, the whole shebang—whatever you want. I would like reviews, constructive criticism is appreciated! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Thanks again for supporting! It makes me happy. :D **

I slam the van door again when I get out at base. The others unload themselves and the equipment more carefully.

"Put the weapons in the locker, then go back to your normal stations. Piper, follow me."  
>The others do as I say, disappearing. Piper follows me, looking around in wonder. "How long have you been alone?"<br>"About a month or so. Leo was with me before, but then we got attacked. He was scouting and I had to run. But Leo and I were running together for almost three years." We start heading up the stairs.

"Just the two of you?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"No idea who you were, what you could do?"  
>"In the beginning…well, we went to the same school. We were the outsiders, so we bonded. Then the news blew up—literally. Titians were everywhere. We had both known about the myths, but it took us a while to figure it out."<br>"Any weapons?"  
>She shakes her head. "He used whatever he could find. All I had was a set of those devices."<br>"Speaking of which, what were those?"

"Leo made them. They were coded to my voice. I'm not the best at charmspeaking, but those devices were really sensitive to it and could target the brain and make the person do my will."  
>"They hurt."<br>"How'd you get out?"  
>We're at the control room door. I look over my shoulder at her. She still has something that the majority of us don't have. Hope.<p>

"I have a rocky history. I usually block it out. This time I didn't."  
>Then I open the door. Leo's bent over one of our laptops, tinkering.<br>"I told you to fix up the shields," I say, voice sharp. He doesn't look up.

"I did. I'm boosting the Wi-Fi."  
>"We only have three laptops."<br>"And I'm making them better," He says, finally looking up. "Piper!"  
>He jumps out of his chair and she hugs him.<br>"Where've you been?"  
>"Where've I been? Where've you been?"<br>"Everywhere. The lasers work for you?"  
>"Yeah. They all got smashed, though."<br>"I'll make you new ones."  
>"No," I say. They both look up, smiles fading from their faces.<p>

"What?"  
>"That's wrong. Unnatural. Don't make any more of them."<p>

Leo stands up, brow furrowed. "Why should I listen to you?"  
>I almost spit. "<em>Why<em>? Because I'm the last child of Athena who was at the Battle of New York. I'm the smartest demigod here."  
>"Debatable."<p>

"And I know who's hosting Kronos."  
>"Non-debatable. How, exactly?"<br>"Old friend. We used to go way back."  
>"And…"<br>"Now? Now he's made the world what it is. A disaster."  
>"You plan on fixing it?"<br>"I'm trying to heal it. I know it'll never really recover, but I'll try to start it on its path."  
>"And if you can't? If you die?"<br>"I'll never except that I can't heal this. If I die, at least know that I had my revenge for Per—for fallen demigods."  
>Leo takes a split second to consider this. "Good. I'm in."<br>"I've been in," Piper says. "Since Annabeth took her sword off of my throat and told me that having no reason to live would let me onto her team."  
>I sigh. "Well, I'll show you to some empty rooms. And then I'll tell you everything."<br>"Everything?"  
>"Tonight's story night. At dinner, we can all tell stories. Hopes. Wishes."<br>"Story night?"  
>"It only happens once a year."<p>

They look a little confused at my explanation, but I gesture for them to follow. They both find fairly decent rooms, and then it's time for dinner.

The demigods in charge of food have gone all out. They probably collected for months. We have turkey and peas and apple crisp and brownies and even blue cookies—which I don't touch.

"Wow," Leo gasps, seeing the feast.  
>"Don't get used to it," Jake says, passing. "We only do this about…uh…once a year."<br>Leo slumps.

"Don't worry, it's worth it."  
>After everyone's sat down and started eating, I put a chair on top of the front table and sit in it.<p>

"Happy Hope Day, everyone!" I call out. Cheers echo around.  
>"Today is exactly three years from the day we lost the first battle. The titans think that that was the war…but it wasn't. We are here, itching for a fight."<br>More cheers. I put on a smile and look around. All together, we have about thirty people, plus the twelve out scouting.  
>"Apparently…we have a tradition. We have two newcomers today, Piper and Leo, plus we had Scarlett a couple weeks ago. I know she wasn't filled in completely, sorry, Scarlett."<br>The daughter of Ares gives me a nod of forgiveness.

"Well, I'm going to do the full talk here—where we stand on being awesome, the rundown of what happened three years ago, and how people are doing. All that jazz."  
>More yells of happiness. I smile, and this time it's almost real.<p>

"Shush! I'm starting, and if you can't hear it's either your fault or the fault of the person next to you.  
>"We currently have…43 followers. 31 of them are currently here, and four groups of three are stationed around New York. We haven't been discovered—as far as we know.<p>

"Now, here's what I know what all of you want to hear—the Battle of New York."  
>The room goes silent in anticipation. Most people haven't heard this story.<p>

"Three years ago, we were battling for the gods. They were trying to fight the monster Typhon, father of monsters. Did they succeed? We don't know. They might have, since it's not raging around, but they might not've, since we don't know where they are.  
>"It was me, Grover—a satyr—Thalia—a daughter of Zeus—and Percy. Son of Poseidon. Hero of Olympus. Reason we're here." My voice cracked when I said his name, and I sit down heavily in the chair.<br>"We went up the elevator to Mount Olympus, which was falling. The four of us were almost to the throne room when a statue of Hera fell, hitting Thalia. She had to stay there. The rest of us went on.

"The battle was hard."  
>Carefully, I describe every detail I could—even the smell of the room.<p>

"I went down, and when I looked back up, he…Percy…had taken a hit. He was down."  
>I take a deep breath. Many people are praying, some crying, some staring holes into the tables.<p>

"He never got back up. I sent Grover back out, and then I ran. I haven't seen either him or Thalia since, don't even know if they're alive."

Silence fills the room, a sad silence. I hate it.

"You know why I still tell that story? Even though you all remember the pain we've been through?" I stand up. People start to look back up at me. "Because we're still here. Forty-three demigods are prevailing under the titans. If they found out, they'd have a heart attack."  
>More people look at me. I stand up on the chair and yell. "And then we'll send them back to Tartarus where they belong, banished so deep they'll never come back! That's why!"<br>Everyone's looking at me. "So get up! Come on ! We've been through hell, and you're going to sit here wishing your lives were better? We can't take revenge for our world while feeling sorry for ourselves!"  
>They cheer again.<br>I smile, getting off the table. A few more people tell stories, then everyone starts telling people what they'll do when this is over, or what they were going to do.

People start puttering out. Soon I'm the last one left.  
>And that's when I say it. The hope I had. What I was going to do.<p>

"I was going to kiss him," I whisper to the air.

**There you go! I hope you liked, please follow, favorite, and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait!  
><strong>My promise hangs in the air for a second, and I almost feel foolish for thinking it. So I get up, go to my room, and sit on my bed.

Then I think. Then I really, really, think. I remembered him today. I thought about him. I remembered his voice.

I gasp. It comes back, all the memories I hide away. Percy smiling, laughing. Percy fighting. Percy dying.

Some dam breaks, somewhere, and a dam breaks for my tears. They flood out, and I let them run. They're salty. Salt water. Everything says Percy to me.

I grab my pillow and hug it, hug it like it's him. It soaks up my tears, until I stop crying and sit, in the dark.

"Annabeth!" I jerk awake to my name. "Annabeth!"

"What?" I recognize Connor's voice.

"We've got something—something big. You should take a look."  
>"Alright. I'll be there in five."<br>He doesn't reply, but I hear his footsteps walking away. I jump off my bed, and change clothes. The bathroom I share with the adjoining room is empty, so I scrub my face.  
>"Tell me," I say, before anyone sees me enter the room. The demigods in there jump.<p>

"Uh, the weather forecast is showing a lightning storm."  
>Silence.<p>

"You woke me up for a lightning storm?"

"No!" Ashton rubs his face. "That came out wrong. I mean, we have a lightning storm in one spot. One building, multiple lightning strikes. All coming from one spot."  
>The room holds its breath. Then the whispers start.<p>

"Do you think—"  
>"The legend?"<br>"Could she be alive?"  
>"If she's on our side…it'll be like Percy…"<br>"Quiet!" I bark. "We're checking this out. I'll take point. I want Jake, Katie, Connor, Travis, Scarlett, Clarisse, Finn, Marielle, and Dez with me. Leo, prep the armored cars. I want to take both, with a driver, gunner, and back-up. Neil, Azlyn—pick some people, and their positions. Becca, Clara—go grab all the weapons you can carry and bring them here. This might be a demigod, or a Titan. We're killing either way."

Yells go up, and people disappear for their jobs. I pace in front of the remainder.

"You're going all out," Clarisse says. I glance at her.  
>"If it is who we think it is—"<br>"And if it's not? You'll lose half of your people."  
>"You're assuming that if this is bad, we'll all die."<br>"Yes."  
>"We won't. I intend to get in and out with no casualties on our side."<br>Clarisse bites her lip, but the weapons arrive, and she's distracted.

Once everyone is armed sufficiently, I bang on the table for attention.  
>"Listen up! If you're staying here, I want you to go to your normal emergency positions. We might bring back wounded, prisoners, or both. So be ready!"<br>I leave the room, not looking back. My team spreads out behind me—15 of the best, smartest demigods. We get to the garage, and six of them peel off for our armored cars-SUV's with Celestial Bronze bullet machine guns—to cover us. The rest of us pile into the other SUV, without a gun.

It's quiet as we follow Neil's group to the building. We pull up across the street, a block away. The armored cars peel off, guarding the entrances. We pile out, and I can smell the ozone from the lightning. It flickers, and I hear screams and shouts.

"Let's go."  
>We split in half in the lobby, Clarisse leading a group up the elevator while I take some up the stairs. We take them three at a time, and soon we're to the roof.<p>

I push the door open and immediately get assaulted by wind. Monsters litter the cement, in various states of death. They claw at us as we run by, but we just slice and they're dust.

Four figures swirl around in the center of the roof—three are attacking, one defending. The lightning is coming from the defender, striking relentlessly. But they don't falter, and I know.

"Titans," I warn the group. And that one word carries across the roof, and one of them turns.

"Annabeth Chase."  
>I advance on them, pulling my sword. "Hyperion. You're looking well, for a tree."<br>He snarls, and turns. That was his mistake. A blast of lightning hits him, right where is heart would be, and blows him off the building. I hear the machine guns, and know that we won't be seeing him for a while.

"Care to take your leave?" I ask the remaining two, Koios and Krios.

They snarl. "Kronos should have killed you when he had the chance."  
>"He tried."<br>Then our group attacks. Krios manages to dodge, but Koios feels us, dead on. He howls, under numerous attacks, and rolls off the building. The guns ring, and dust rains. I turn to the last one. Storms howl around, swirling around the figure, making it hard to see who's in it. Then, in one whirlwind, the storm hits Krios. He goes flying, into a wall, and doesn't get back. I raise an eyebrow at the figure from the storm, still with her arms around.

"Dramatic."  
>She comes running, and hugs me hard enough to squeeze the breath out of me. "At least I wasn't trash talking."<p>

She pulls away. My group is lingering around, killing the few monsters left. Most of them are staring at her, mouths open.

"What's wrong with their jaws?"  
>Mouths snap shut, and I laugh. "They think I made you up. You're considered a legend to them."<br>"Ah." She follows me down, and I gather everyone into the van. We speed away, cheered by the victory. I as soon as we pull into the garage, I'm out, telling her to hide. Then I call a meeting.

Everyone's gathered like we were the night before, but with more curiosity.

"Everyone!" I yell. Heads snap up. Leo's managed to get an Iris Message to the scout groups. "I just went on a mission. You know who was there? Hyperion!"  
>Shouts of rage.<p>

"Krios!"  
>Screams.<br>"And Koios!"  
>The room shakes with anger. "AND GUESS WHERE THEY ARE NOW! THE PIT!"<br>Cheers this time. "But they won't stay for long! So I brought something to help—Someone. Someone who you all think is a legend."  
>The room's quiet.<p>

"I brought…Thalia Grace! Daughter of Zeus!"

**Whoah, big surprise. I hope you didn't guess. You probably did. Please review, favorite, and follow.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, I know I'm late. I'm sorry. The holidays were busy, you know?  
><strong>She comes in at the perfect time, punctuating my words. The room is dead silent for a second, then erupts, so loudly they might hear it back at the Empire State Building.

And I hope they do. I hope they hear our victory.

I go back to my room, leaving them to cheer Thalia on. I'm absorbed in my thoughts when a knock on the door sounds. I open it. Thalia grins at me and gives me another hug.

"Can I come in?" She asks, brushing past me into the room.

"Sure," I say. She looks in the bathroom, the cupboards, and in the other room. "Feel free to look around, too."  
>She rolls her eyes. "Does anyone live in here?"<br>"No."  
>"Good. I'll take it."<br>I can't help but laugh as she drags me back to my bed and sits, pulling me with her.

"So. Fill me in."  
>Quickly, I give her a summary of what I've been doing, the troops we've gathered, and our plans.<p>

"Huh. I'm guessing you want my side?"  
>I give her the <em>well, duh<em> look.

"Alright, so after I got squashed by the Hera statue, I struggled for a while. Then Grover came running, used his Panic to shatter the statue, and dragged me away. We slipped through the fight, and ran even farther. We were in Brooklyn for a couple of years, then got attacked and had to split up. I've been on my own just over a year, and I made that storm hoping that either you or him would come find me. And you did."  
>"How'd you know that I'd—"<br>"Because you're you. I know that you'd never let them get by with Percy's murder."  
>I stiffen. "They killed a lot of demigods—"<br>"But you didn't look at them all like you looked at Percy," She says, gentle, and I swallow hard. I already know my feelings were obvious to everyone but Percy.

"Anyway."  
>"Anyway, the Titans found me first. We were only there for like 15 minutes when you showed up."<br>I sigh. "You held your own against three Titans for 15 minutes. No wonder people here think you're a legend."  
>She blushes. "I'm not."<br>"Fifteen minutes, Thalia."

She opens her mouth to say more, but screams come echoing down the hallway. Before I can even register what they are, I'm off the bed, Riptide in hand, and racing toward the sound.

In the control room. Demigods are gathered around something—no, someone.

"Hey!" I shout. They look back at me. "Move out of my way!" They do as I say as Thalia runs into the room. Aura's got her knife to a boy's throat. "What's the matter?" I demand.

"He—he just appeared! Out of the shadows!" She says. Thalia chuckles behind me.

"Let him go," I command. She hesitates.

"But, he attacked me!"  
>"Who attacked first?"<br>"I did."  
>"Let him <em>go<em>."

She hesitates another second, then moves the knife away.  
>"Sorry about that," I say. He looks at me.<p>

"S'okay. Better than a monster."  
>I grin. "Alright, everyone. Today's your lucky day. This is Nico D'Angelo. Son of Hades."<p>

Instead of cheers, whispers travel around the room, and stares focus on Nico. He looks uncomfortable, so I beckon him away. All demigods from Camp Half-Blood follow me, too, and we sit in what used to be the laundry room. We shoved the equipment in the corner and filled it with chairs and a ping pong table like the one we had in the Big House.

"Sit down, everyone," I bark. "Nico, tell us everything while I make some hot chocolate."  
>"Why?"<br>"Because I want to hear it."  
>"No, why hot chocolate?"<br>"Because we've got a machine here for it. And it's delicious."  
>I make several cups while Nico talks. Apparently, he was by himself, traveling around, and got cornered by a legion of monsters. They were taking him to Kronos when he saw the lightning and decided that we were in the area, and shadow traveled here to look for leads—and got lucky, finding us.<p>

"How'd you know where to shadow travel?" Chris asks. Nico shrugs.

"This was our base during the first battle. I figured it'd be as good place to start looking as any."

I nod, drinking my chocolate. We talk for a while, comparing stories until it's almost dark out. Then we slowly wander off, until Jake shows Nico to a room and I go back to the control room to check up on everything.

"Everything okay?" I ask. The demigods there all either staring intently at computer screens or listening to earphones. They signal for me to wait. I do, impatient, until they all jump back at the same time. "What?!"

"We—we got a message from…"  
>"Who?"<br>"The…Titans. They want to meet."

**DUN DUN DUN! Sorry about the length, ran out of inspiration.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! Thanks to QueenofSilver for the really nice review, made my day! Thanks so much! **

My heart flies to my throat, and I force it down. "Explain."  
>The tech boy nearest to me, Rowan, blinks, looking scared. "We just got this message from an unknown source, who identified as the Titans, and told us that they have us surrounded and we have 15 minutes to make a reply on an okay to meet. They didn't say the place."<p>

I swallow. I was not expecting this—well, ever. I walk over to the wall of camera feeds showing the street around us. I scan all of them, finding no signs of monsters.

"Tell them to show themselves," I call over my shoulder. Rowan types furiously for a few seconds, then waits. The room is holding its breath as the computer crackles with a reply. Several people are listening, then nod to me. I turn my attention back to the screens—and gasp. Hundreds of monsters are everywhere, hundreds more than the first battle. I rearrange my face to show confidence, not fear, and tell the girl next to me to call all Camp Half-Blood demigods. She gets to work as I tell Rowan to ask them where they want to meet, and when. They reply, he prints it for me, and I head into the next room. Clarisse, Jake, Thalia, Nico, Chris, Katie, Travis, and Connor are all gathered, as well as Leo and Piper.

"Annabeth, what's the matter?" Thalia asks. She looks concerned. "You look like you saw a ghost."  
>I take a deep breath. "The titans contacted us."<br>Shocked stares from all around the room.

"They—they want to meet, tomorrow, at—three-o-clock. Off of Long Island Sound, near Montauk."

Thalia takes a breath. "We denied them, right?"  
>I turn on the projector, which is turned to the cameras, showing the monsters surrounding us.<p>

"We have no choice."  
>"We planned for a final battle, Annabeth," Clarisse reminds me.<p>

"In the dead of night? With 45 fighters—only 35 of us here—in the dark where we can't see, surrounded by hundreds of monsters?"  
>"We fought the Battle of Manhatten with close to the same odds," She reasons.<p>

"Yes, with the Hunters of Artemis! With a whole Ares cabin! Not with 35 ragtag demigods in rags!" I yell.

"You don't like our odds?"

"No!"  
>"You never have!"<br>"Because they've always been bad! We always would obviously lose!"  
>"Because we don't have Percy." Her words are biting.<p>

I draw back. "That has nothing to do with—"  
>"That's what you mean! We fought with Percy, who's the real reason we won!"<br>"Everyone knows that!"

"Maybe he's not, though. Maybe he's the reason we lost."  
>"What are you implying?"<br>"I'm implying that he didn't beat Kronos, which led to all this," She gestures with her hands at our surroundings.

My breath is coming in fast bursts. "It's not his fault."

"Is it?"

"Clarisse." My breath is barely above a whisper, because I'm holding back tears now. "Would you stop, and think?"  
>She glares. I take a shaky breath, which catches in my throat.<p>

"What would you do if I was saying that about Chris? If I were accusing him of causing the war?"

She looks taken aback. "Chris didn't—"  
>"Percy didn't. Don't—<em>ever—<em>try to say to me that this was Percy's fault. He gave his life trying to prevent it."

She slumps. "I know. I'm sorry, Annabeth. I'm just tired of this."  
>"Everyone is." I turn around for a second, take deep breaths to hide my tears. Not his fault, I remind myself, fanning my face to dry my eyes. Not his fault.<p>

"Okay." I turn back around. "Tomorrow, I'm giving the announcement for everyone to get into full armor, pack everything up just in case we won't be coming back. We'll all go to meet the Titans, and we won't fight if we can help it. I mean, no rushing head on. If we're leaving, we'll chop of some heads."  
>"We'll run?"<br>"Yes. Also, we'll call the scouts back; that's ten fighters we need, here. Any thoughts?"  
>"Why do you think they want to meet?" Connor asks.<p>

"Don't think about it. Don't consider it, because each situation will be the worst, and then you won't sleep, then you'll be tired tomorrow and lag behind and get killed."  
>"Okay."<br>"That all?"  
>"I thought they couldn't get past the defenses," Piper says.<p>

"That many probably can. Anything else? No? Okay. See you in the morning."  
>I leave, heading up to my room. Making sure the door is firmly locked to the bathroom so Thalia can't get in, I sit on the bed, staring at the wall. I want to do it...no…yes…fine.<p>

I stand up, grab a pad of paper and a pencil, and start to write.

_Dear Percy_

_You're dead. I'm not. The Titans are everywhere. All I want is to be peaceful, but that's really not an option right now—if I die, I'll be in the chaotic underworld. But at least I'd be with you._

_I love you. I think. I try not to think about you, or love, because then I break down and can't think about anything except your sea-green eyes and the last kiss we had, which, incidentally, was our only one. I miss you so much, I think I'm remembering you better than you were. Not as annoying and stuff. Better looking. More muscles. Not that you needed them.  
>That would go straight to your head, make your ego bigger. But you don't have an ego anymore. Or a head. Now I'll take deep breaths to calm myself down.<br>_

_I didn't used to be this emotional, but then I got incapacitated by emotion lasers and had to think about you-for the first time in years-to get out, and now I think about you all the time. It's hard. _

_But, I just wanted to write some of this stuff down so if I die tomorrow someone reads it and knows how I feel. _

_This was stupid and pointless and time wasting. But I did it anyway._

_Love, forever, Annabeth.  
>That was sappy. Sorry.<em>

**Next chapter is a big one! Review!**


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